Wednesday, November 01, 2006

October 2006 GCMC Activities

October Comings and Goings in the GCMCThe Geospatial Center & Map Collection hosted six tour groups during the month of October. Three classes of Creative Writing, one Honors College class, and one English 104 class visited the Center to learn about the resources available. Another tour group included first-year instructors at the University. The visitors learned about how to print a poster for a presentation using the large-format plotter and how to use GIS for class assignments or papers in the GIS lab. The students and staff also learned about using maps as visual aids in speeches or in research papers. The students in the Creative Writing classes were surprised to find maps of fictional locations, maps of the settings for Shakespeare's plays, and even a map of Springfield from the television show The Simpsons included in the Collection.

Other classes also visited the GCMC as part of an assignment: Geography 150 and 353 students were given an assignment to use specific map sets from the Center to improve their map-reading skills. The students wrote papers about the development of a city of their choice using topographic maps, street maps, and historic bird's-eye views. Physical Education: Professional 155 students were given an assignment to use the Center's GIS lab to create and print a poster for a class presentation.

Also in October, the GIS Specialist worked with a graduate assistant from the Department of Anthropology creating a map about an archaeological site for a presentation. The historic route of the Mississinewa River was mapped and buffers were added at incremental distances using GIS software.

The Ukraine seemed to be a popular country for researchers in the GCMC during October. One patron used maps of the Ukraine to find the cities of Lvov and Dashava, which were mentioned in letters from a soldier to the patron's grandmother during World War II. Another patron borrowed maps of the Ukraine for an upcoming presentation about her volunteer activities in the country as a member of the Peace Corps, and, coincidentally, another patron wanted to review maps of the Ukraine since she will soon be living there teaching English as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Please visit or contact the GCMC for assistance with class assignments, posters, and presentations, or to take a tour. The Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Contact the Center at (765) 285-1097.